Sanitation - A major Social Concern!

Water is a basic necessity, and an important resource for sustaining life. The decline in water quality endangers the health of humans as well as the ecosystem. Clean drinking water, hygiene, and sanitation play a vital part in maintaining health. 

Contaminated water causes many water-borne infections like diarrhoea, and also serves as a carrier for vectors such as mosquitoes spreading epidemics. Open defecation means no sanitation. It fouls the environment, and spreads diseases. According to WHO-UNICEF report (2010), India has the highest rate of open defecation. Access to safe drinking water and good sanitation are essential for family well-being. It results in control of enteric diseases, and boosts child health. A healthy child has better learning and retaining ability. Girls avoid going to school where there are no proper sanitation measures.

Sanitation makes a positive contribution in family literacy. According to a UNICEF study, for every 10 per cent increase in female literacy, a country’s economy can grow by 0.3 per cent. Thus, sanitation contributes to social and economic development of the society. Improved sanitation also helps the environment. 

Clean drinking water and good sanitation would not prevent infections without practicing good hygiene. A simple habit of washing hands goes a long way towards preventing diseases. The stored water supply may also serve as a source of infection in the absence of hygiene. 

In India, rapid urbanisation and the increasing population has placed a major strain on the existing infrastructure. It has affected the capacity of the government to provide clean drinking water, and effective sanitation measures. Though the government has tried to overcome this problem through urban development programmes like Clean India Campaign, the total costs required for successful operations continue to mar their efforts. Hence, the contributions of corporations, and other organisations is a welcome change. With these regards it is also important that we contribute our bit towards cleanliness and sanitation.

Participating in Clean India Campaign(Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan) doesn't mean just to take a broom and clean some dry waste and be happy that you cleaned India. 

There are very few simple things that we need to do to clean India as a part of this mission.

1) Don't Litter, throw waste in dustbin only.
2) Don't encourage spitting, immediately condemn people if found doing so.
3) Avoid usage of Plastic covers, plastic disposables. Carry a bag with you when you go for shopping, teach the people around you the same.
4) Teach Children about Cleanliness and Sanitation.
5) Plant trees around your house.
6) Separate Dry waste and wet waste in your house, ease the work of municipality workers.
7) If possible join any of the NGOs working in your area towards cleaning of India. If not at least contribute to it in someway.
8) Avoid personal transport whenever possible. Encourage Car Pooling if you can't avoid. Much better you can use Public transportation.
9) Pool money along with your area mates and install large sized dustbins in the places where littering is done on the road or open place.

These petty little things if followed regularly can commutatively bring about a greater change. Since, a habit cannot be changed just in one day hence it’s a time for introspecting ourselves and has become very important to practice the above regulary for a positive change and preventing this mission to be just a failed initiative.